Help Out Chile....and get something for yourself!!!

We are still doing fine after the 8.8 grade earthquake that struck Chile on February 27th at approx. 3:30am. There have been over 170 aftershocks, most small but some quite strong. Thankfully our family and friends are all ok, even though our nerves continue to be tested with the aftershocks. We consider ourselves to be VERY lucky in that we still have an apartment to live in, food to eat and water to drink. Many people further south and on coastal cities lost everything. They were barely able to leave their houses and head for higher ground before the tsunami came and washed everything away. Watching the news and talking to people has been devastating. You see these kinds of thinks on TV, such as the earthquake & tsunami of 2004 or that of Haiti in January, and it seems so surreal. Then it happens to you or someone close to you, and while on some level it is still surreal, the truth is that it shakes you to your core. I cannot believe the state of crisis that exists in Concepción and the other towns. It blows my mind to see the pictures and hear of people displaced from their homes, not to mention then being robbed by theives who are taking advantage of the situation.

Christian and I have been trying to help out in any way we can, despite the fact we still have to work this week. Yesterday we took bags of clothes, personal hygene products and food to a donation site in Vitacura. It was amazing to see what everyone has donated. We are also donating money through my company, which is matching donations, and the money will go directly to the workers of our power plants down south who have lost everything. However, we just don't feel that is enough. So we had another idea....one in which you can all participate to not only help out Chile, but to also get something pretty darn cool out of it yourselves.

We have decided to sell prints of some of Christian's photography. Pictures of Argentina, Chile, Colorado, the aftermath of the earthquake here, Dachshund puppies, and more. All profits made from the sales will be donated to the earthquake relief efforts. Whatever is sold between now and this Friday, March 5th will be donated to El Teletón (The Telethon, which is a huge fundraising campaign that is performed annually in Chile for the disabled, however the organization has decided to put on a special telethon just for the earquake and it will be Friday starting at 10pm). The rest of the profits made between March 5th and March 17th will be donated to the Red Cross Chile and to Un Techo Para Chile ("A Roof for Chile"). These organizations are crucial to rebuilding Chile and we know they money will be put to good use.

How does it work? It is simple:

• Visit the website: http://christianbphotography.printroom.com
• View the different galleries available and pick your favorite pictures. You can choose from a variety of print sizes.
• When you view your Shopping Cart before checking out, make sure the images look ok in the little icon. You can crop and adjust the images to make sure the whole image is included in the print size you want. You can add borders, etc. as well. Please do not forget to review this before checking out. We cannot be responsible for images that get cut off due to the print size ordered but not adjusted properly.
• Click Checkout and follow the instructions regarding shipping, payment, etc. Payments can be made with Visa, Mastercard and AmericanExpress.
• Done! Now you too have aided in rebuilding Chile and scored yourself some awesome pictures!

We will be posting the total of funds gathered to donate as well as the receipts of donations after the two week period ends here on the blog.

Please take the opportunity to pass on this information to anyone you know so that we have the chance of donating as much money as possible. This was the 7th largest earthquake in recorded history and it is going to take a lot of help to get Chile back to where it needs to be.

We really appreciate you taking your time and helping us out! Any questions that you may have, feel free to send us an email at christianbphotography[at]gmail[dot]com.